


Before the Second Show

by Emono



Series: Safe and Sound [2]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Bickering, Building Relationship, General Night Vale-y-ness, Horror, M/M, Spoilers, Worry, bit of angst, off-canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-26
Updated: 2013-08-26
Packaged: 2017-12-24 18:32:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/943260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emono/pseuds/Emono
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carlos is discovering so much about the town and he wants to share it with Cecil. The infatuated radio host is terrified that his scientist is poking into things that are more dangerous than they look. Neither quite understand the other's priorities or boundaries, but they try. And isn't that what's most important?</p><p>Spoilers for "Pilot", the in-between bits.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Before the Second Show

**The warnings in the last installment were a little misleading and I apologize. I jumped the gun on the tags. Again, this is just a snapshot of the start of their relationship.**

**Photoset for this chapter[here](http://emono-omae.tumblr.com/post/59426613107/im-not-leaving-cecil-smiled-weakly-im).**

* * *

 

The Moonlit Diner had all silver bulbs. It was a very flattering light and was quite the conversation piece, when there were people to talk _to_.

 

Cecil sat alone at the bar, poking his strawberry pie with the ends of his fork. He wasn't quite in the mood to put on a delighted face and pretend to enjoy it while the all-white eyes of the waitresses studied him. The day had been overcast with gloom, though the sky itself was clear. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened, at least to his knowledge. The Dog Park sill went unnoticed, the Shape in Grove Park remained unspoken, and Ralph's had just gotten their yearly supply of red and blue dots for Dot Day. There was no reason to feel down but yet there he sat, cheek in palm and glasses slightly askew.

 

The bell over the door chimed. He'd managed to take a small bite of pie when someone grabbed his chair and swirled him sideways, revealing the stark white lab coat and beautiful caramel skin of his favorite scientist. Cecil quickly straightened his glasses and tried to smooth down his hair, tattoos all but quivering along his skin as he realized how close they were standing.

 

“This town is the most scientifically fascinating town I've ever seen,” Carlos gushed, gesturing with a very expensive electronic tablet in his hand, “There's a new housing development at Desert Creek and – I wish I could make this up – one of the houses _isn't real_.”

 

“You don't say?”

 

“We drew straws to see who would knock on the door and go in,” Carlos continued, tapping at the screen of the device, “Eric, our head audio recorded, went in and his fingernails haven't stopped growing since. It's fascinating, truly fascinating.”

 

“Yesterday we went to the monitoring station at Route 800,” Carlos showed him the screen, an unidentifiable display of data swimming before his eyes, “There are these...astonishingly strong seismic shifts through several plates. I _know._ ”

 

He finished as if Cecil had looked surprised. Seeing as the radio host was just happy to listen to his voice and watch his glorious locks catch the light, his delight could've been mistaken.

 

“We double-checked the monitors and they work, we can't find a thing wrong with them,” the scientist assured him with a flick of his fingers, “There should be apocalyptic earthquakes destroying this place but there's nothing to feel. It's scientific marvel, I've been up all night sifting through and comparing the data.”

 

“You really have been on the ball,” Cecil cringed at how stupid and young he sounded, “You've learned so much and you've only been here a week. You must be a skilled bunch.”

 

“I'd like to think we are,” Carlos shifted his tablet to his left, flexing his now-free hand to get rid of the little twitches through his fingers, “I'm kind of running on drip coffee and hope, do you mind?”

 

Cecil glanced at his picked-over lunch, pushing the plate closer with sudden haste, “Please, anything.”

 

Carlos nodded in gratitude before snatching up a few normal looking fries off the other's plate. It was the first food he'd touched since yesterday. He trusted Cecil and any food he'd ingested, though he didn't touch a speck of food that wasn't prepared at his home. With the exception of the mandatory visit to Big Rico's once a week, he usually nibbled on whatever was left in his cabinets.

 

“I believe there's something wrong with the clocks here in Night Vale,” he lapped the salt from his finger, “I'm going to observe the sunset tomorrow and see if I can more accurately judge it that way.”

 

“ _All_ our clocks?” Cecil choked out, smiling out of pure instinct as he tried not to stare at the scientist's dark pink mouth and the dark stubble around it, “I'm – I'm confidant you'll figure it out.”

 

“I do hope so,” Carlos put his elbow on the counter, casually thumbing along the screen of his device to check over the graphs the others had put together for him, “I passed by the most unusual structure today, maybe you've heard of it. It seemed to be made out of silver and marble, and there was this rather brilliant glow coming from the windows. I tried to look in one but all I saw were these tall people wearing what looked like wings and I think I saw... _eyes_. More than normal. It looked like they were blinking all over. Their arms were so _long_ , I couldn't believe it. But it was right there in front of me!”

 

Cecil quickly threw down a twenty before grabbing Carlos under his arm, dragging him through the diner and out into the grey sunlight. The scientist was complaining about the suddenness of the treatment but he went along with it, wondering just what he'd done to make the radio host panic so. The darker man found himself led toward a sleek navy car that was unfamiliar to him but Cecil seemed to know very well. He was pushed into the passenger side, the door slamming shut only a few moments before Cecil slid into the driver's seat. With the click of a button on a key ring, the doors locked.

 

“You can't talk about that,” Cecil was breathless as he tried to explain, “Not the angels or the house. Never again.”

 

“What's wrong, Cecil?” Carlos frowned, “Why can't I talk about those beings? _Angels_ , did you call them?”

 

“Don't!” Cecil hissed, he could feel the shadow of his truer form filling up the car, “I said, don't talk about them! You just _can't_ , Carlos. I'm trying to keep you safe and you're making it hard, talking about all that in there where anyone could hear.”

 

“I don't see what the problem is!” Carlos protested, “What is that place? Who are those beings?”

 

“Please stop!” he begged shamelessly.

 

“But,” the scientist sputtered, “They're hard to miss. Doesn't anyone else see them?”

 

“No one sees anything. And if they do, they drink until they forget it,” Cecil reached up gently and cupped his palms along the man's strong jaw, “Please, darling, don't do this. If they hear you talking about them, they'll take you. Maybe off the street, maybe out of your bed – but away for sure.

 

His thumb brushed a path through dark bristles, tone melting down to nothing, “I couldn't bear if something were to happen to you.”

 

“It's one of those City Council things, isn't it?” Carlos was trying desperately not to feel embarrassed by the open affection, “Like pens or all those other ridiculously common things?”

 

“It's privileged information, the Angels are on a need-to-know basis,” Cecil recited, closing his eyes as he recalled the rules he'd been told to announce on the next broadcast, “Don't speak or...or acknowledge any angels that you might come across.”

 

He took a shuddering breath, “Report all angel sightings to the City Council for treatment.”

 

The words dropped like an ominous stone within the scientist.

 

“Then they're barbarians,” Carlos countered hotly, “Keeping knowledge like that locked up. I'm not asking much! Just a few tests!”

 

But he host's painfully understanding gaze cooled his temper.

 

“Please, Carlos, don't do this,” his name sounded so sweet within the radio host's mouth, enough to make him relax into the touch.

 

“I can't,” Carlos confessed.

 

“You must,” Cecil slowly released him, “Don't give them an excuse.”

 

And in that moment they were both overcome with the urge to kiss.

 

Instead, they turned away from each other and stared out their respective windows.

 

“I should go,” Carlos commented.

 

“I'm afraid so,” the blonde sighed, clenching his eyes shut until he could get a handle on their slipping color and his thrumming tattoos.

 

It was hard being a monster with a true angel so close.

 

*******

 

Cecil flipped the switch for the weather to start playing, running his fingers up several of the sliders to pick up the volume and bite out the treble that always seemed to creep in while he was speaking. Like someone was inching it up while he wasn't paying attention. He tugged off his heavy headphones and let them lay around his neck, the cool air of the booth soothing the tips of his ears.

 

He took a long drink of water, eyes still scanning the pages laid out across the desk. He still had the reminder from the City Council about the Angels to read out and he wasn't looking forward to it.

 

The door handle rattled just a few seconds before it came open. Standing there was his Carlos (his? No, not yet, maybe not ever). He was panting and sweat was slick across his handsome brow, lab coat smeared with what looked and smelled like tar. The ravenette rushed over and grabbed the host's hand, desperation written across his frightened face. He was clutching a box studded with blinking lights and laced with wires, a soft whistling coming from it

 

“We need to leave,” Carlos was breathing so hard the words came out in sharp jabs, “This whole block – vapors – tremors – we ran out of canaries – had to make this. Let's go.”

 

The grasp was hard but still brought goosebumps up along his forearm.

 

“I'm not leaving,” Cecil smiled weakly, “I'm sorry, I'm on the air. Actually, I'm in the middle of the show.”

 

“The show?” the scientist looked around the room like he'd never seen a radio set-up before, “It's dangerous, we need to leave. This whole place could come down around your ears and I won't allow it. Now quit being stupid and let's go!”

 

Cecil bristled at the word _stupid._

 

Carlos's grip slackened, “Cecil...I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that you don't understand what could happen in the next hour and it's best to just drop this show and come with me.”

 

“I'm on the air,” he gave the darker haired man's hand a squeeze, “And if it really is as dangerous as you say, you should leave. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you.”

 

“You tried to save me earlier so let me return the favor,” he tugged his hand hard, “Let me help you.”

 

The blonde gave a swooning sigh, “No thank you.”

 

“You...don't care?”

 

“I care very much,” Cecil slowly took his hand back, heart aching when the touch disappeared, “But I have a job to do.”

 

“Fuck your job!” Carlos snapped, tension audibly snapping in the air.

 

“Language,” Cecil scolded, sliding his headphones back on, “I'm sorry, Carlos. I'll see you later.”

 

“Maybe,” the scientist hurried back to the door but he stopped, turning back reluctantly. His gaze was pleading, his hand lingering on the door frame like he didn't actually want to leave.

 

Cecil smiled at him and gave a little wave, mouthing a convincing _see you later_.

 

*******

 

“ _Carlos, perfect and beautiful, came into our studios during the break earlier, but declined to stay for an interview. He had some sort of blinking box in his hand covered with wires and tubes. Said he was testing the place for materials. I don’t know what materials he meant, but that box sure whistled and beeped a lot. When he put it close to the microphone it sounded like, well, like a bunch of baby birds had just woken up, really went crazy. Carlos looked nervous. I’ve never seen that kind of look on someone with that strong of a jaw. He left in a hurry. Told us to evacuate the building._ ”

 

*******

 

Cecil shifted to the next paper, tongue nervously wetting his lower lip before he spoke.

 

“ _The city council would like to remind you about the Tiered Heavens, and the Hierarchy of Angels. The reminder is that you should not know anything about this. The structure of heaven and the angelic organizational chart are privileged information known only to the city council members on a need-to-know basis. Please...do not speak to or acknowledge any angels that you might come across while shopping at the Ralph’s or at the Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex_.”

 

He remembered Carlos's dark eyes, so full of fire and then resolve.

 

“ _They only tell lies, and do not exist,_ ” he tried to sound as convincing as possible, if only for the scientist's sake, “ _Report all angel sightings to the city council for treatment._ ”

 

Cecil put on a smile and tried for something more pleasant to lighten the darkening mood.

 

“ _And now for a brief public service announcement. Alligators. Can they kill your children? Yes._ ”

 

*******

 

When Cecil left the station that night, he found a package of glasses wipes with a small note taped to it that only read _I apologize_.

 

In the dark of the parking lot, Cecil's eyes glowed and his cheeks flushed an unholy violet that sent a passing intern running to their car.

* * *

**Give a shout if you liked it :)**

**Next installment: Episode 2, _Station Management_**

 


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